Women more likely to be addicted to Facebook, say researchers

12 , May , The Telegraph

Women are more likely to become addicted to Facebook, according to
researchers who designed a chart of symptoms signalling whether someone
has an unhealthy devotion to social networking.Psychologists from the
University of Bergen in Norway studied 423 students for signs of
addictive behaviour in the way they used and felt about Facebook.

They found that some participants showed clear signs of "Facebook
addiction" similar to those exhibited by people addicted to drugs,
alcohol and other chemical substances.

Younger people were more likely to become dependant on Facebook than
older people and women were at greater risk than men, the researchers
said.People who suffered from anxiety or social insecurity were heavier
users of the website, most likely because they found it easier to use
the technology than to communicate with people in person, they added.

The study also found that extroverted people were more likely to be
addicted to Facebook, while people who were well organised and ambitious
were less at risk, using the website primarily for work or networking
purposes.

The findings were measured using the "Bergen Facebook Addiction
Scale", a new list of six criteria for each of which a person is given a
score from one ("very rarely") to five ("very often").Categories include
feeling an urge to use Facebook an increasing amount, trying and failing
to limit your use of the website, and feeling unsettled if you are
denied access to your account.

Scoring "often" or "very often" on at least four of the criteria
suggests you may be addicted to Facebook, according to the study
published in the Psychological Reports journal.